Oh "SNOW"

I won't complain about the snow since I am a cold weather girl.  I miss being able to work out in the yard but I have such trouble with the heat the older I get.  Thomas used to have his coat on most of the time in the house but he is getting better about dressing warmer.

I have been getting my strength back more and more the last few weeks since I had the flu.  Been taking my vitamins and making sure I keep my calories up like I should. Who would have thunk it...  Since Jake helped me figure out I wasn't eating enough I have been doing better about keeping my strength up.  Gotta keep my allergy meds going so I will have a better summer.

My sister posted a new artesian bread so I tried it tonight.  It takes 16hrs to rise so I started it after dinner so I can get it in the oven in the morning. So I will report that to ya tomorrow.

Now let me get back about my chair that the lovely Zena made a mess of.

It turned out pretty cute, i just hand stitched it all so I can use the table clothes later.  real comfy also.

As I have said before the great thing about getting older is slowing down is so awesome, but the strange thing I get so much more done.  My next project is to use our back room as my office and work space but for it to be very homey and totally usable.

So here we go with something new to work on.  At least I have something to keep my mind and body going during this crazy weather.  Lets see it was 70 last week I wore my summer pjs to bed for two nights and had the windows open during the day.  Then oh what fun we woke up to sleet and then every element fell from the sky today.

Was supposed to go to the city and have a great little get away, started packing things up decided to run and wash my car holy crap it was a cold wind and then came home turned on the morning world news and they show this HUGE cloud coming our way...wowzer I thought it was going to be a little sleet but by the looks of that it was coming fast and ugly.  I used that lovely little voice that said nope you stay home missy so I sent the text to say I was staying home.  Went to the groc store and got stocked up to stay in for a few days.

oh and I have to give this crazy nut dog a hair cut and the Miss Zena a bath.  At least Thomas got is getting a snow day...he is going to wish he was at work cause I am recruiting him to help move things around for me...xxoo

Waited all week for this....

Today I am going to sew all day....I bought this comfy chair at a craft sale and was so excited I put it in a corner of the kitchen and have enjoyed many days drinking coffee, watching tv and just visiting with family and friends.  One morning I come in and find our 12 year old dog has tore the back of it to shreds....grrrr...I put a quilt over the back and just forget how bad it is underneath...later I come home to the seat tore to shreds...another quilt is put on...grrrr...then last week I walk in and she has each arm with stuffing flowing everywhere...grrrr....so today I am going to recover the chair with fabric that isn't so easy for her to ruin.   We have dog beds in every room and I don't even care that she lays on the furniture but she likes to fluff up her bed before she lays down so anything that has any give she keeps fluffing till she makes a very big mess.   I totally understand I have to have my pillow just right to go to sleep but omg...She is such a sweet heart she just wants to lay around and sleep and live out her days in comfort, she can be very destructive when she wants.

I saved her from my old boss.  He brought her to the office to show us and she was so durn cute.  I walked to my car and she followed he called her back and I opened my door and she was so quick she kept jumping in my car before I could get the door shut.  I finally had to just get in, let her in and give her back thru the window.  He had to be out of town for two weeks and asked if we would take care of her, well of corse we would, she loved us so much.  One day I am working and my daughter comes in the door crying saying Dad killed Zena....WHAT... well he was sweeping up a broken vase and the dogs came running thru and he held out the broom to stop them and didn't see the little one and wacked her in the head...she was out....he took her to the vet and it cost us 350.00 we sure didn't have.  I told my boss and he said "why did you do that I would have let her die" .... ya he was that kind of boss.... It was Feb 12th and I am on my way home from a friends house and he calls and says" do you want this dog, I am going to shoot her in the head"?  Well heck ya...I tell Thomas it can be my valentine present (he did pay 350.00 to save her).    I drive up to his house and he has her food and her on the porch, I say" what is going on",

he pointed to the window...the shades were in shreds half way up and he said come here...he put her in the bathroom while he was gone and she had tore up all of the linoleum in the bathroom...it was in pieces...I had never seen anything like it...she is a schnauzer (a puppy)...she is one smart dog...he was an asshole and she knew it!!!!

 She never tore up one thing in our house she was so sweet, she loved us so much, she was more Jakes dog she slept with him and was with him every second he was home.  Only one time later she went to stay all night with our daughter and when Amanda came home every magazine was in little pieces. I guess she was ready to come home.  It has been 12 years and this is all she has done I think she gets a pass.  The other one is another story he is always into something, he never tears up anything he just gets himself in trouble like the wrong end of a skunk and barking at the neighbor.  It has been 2 weeks and my house just now finally doesn't smell like skunk...now he is another story, when he runs around he has a hint of skunk in he sweaty coat...blah...but hey I don't have the kids at home anymore and Jovi is Jakes dog he couldn't keep when he moved.  He is a sweet guy that just gets in trouble sometimes like all little boys do.

Well 9:00am time for my shower and my projects await.... will let you know how they turn out.

Flu helper recipe

I can't believe it is going to be February.  I have been sick for more of January than I have been well.  I am trying to keep a good attitude....boy is it hard.

I had the real bad flu during Christmas and continued into the new year and beyond about 3 weeks all together.  I did find a few things that I thought I would share with you that may help if you get this mess.

1. If you are having the nausea try ginger root pills.  I try to take them everyday in the winter to ward off the flu and I didn't get started early enough this year.  I did find that they really help keep the nausea at bay.

2. vinegar and honey...I had a sore throat with the first round and nothing worked till I started this.  1-T honey 1-T vinegar just mix it up real good and swig it down.  I use mother vinegar.

3. REST..REST...REST the more I tried to get done the worse I got.  I would have a spell where I was feeling good so I would do laundry or clean and I would end up with a fever and barely able to breath.  So as I got better I would work for a little while and then rest and gradually add things to my day.  I finally was able to work for a whole day and then a week.

Now I blame my husband for this cold I have today since he had it last week and I ended up with it on Thursday.  Today was the worst but I think I will be back on the mend tomorrow...sunshine will help the best I think....xxoo everyone.  Lynda

Weekend

This has been a hard last few months.  I had the flu right after Thanksgiving and it came back right after Christmas with a vengeance, I was sick for 3 weeks I just couldn't kick it.  Finally I feel human again it has only been a few weeks and I am still trying to get my house and work back in order.

The big thing I have changed in my life is to give myself permission to take my time.  If it takes me all day to get a few rooms clean who cares??? No one cares no one is here but me and the dogs on week days most of the time.  I love a clean house and I love to cook and decorate but there are days it just doesn't happen.

Now I have had the time and it is back to living and moving.  I have so much research to do on my green house and garden. I want it to be off the grid... so I have to have heat in the winter and I need a shade cloth and fans in the summer.  So if anyone has any great ideas for Oklahoma greenhouse growing please SHARE!!!  I talked to one of the ladies in town who has a green house that she has kept going for years and she was awesome.

I have to get some things made up this weekend for Thomas and myself to have during the week.  I will be letting you know how those go.


I wanted to give you something maybe new to try.  I did this one a few months ago and it was pretty good...we enjoyed it and it just got better the longer we had it.

1 white cake mix

1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice

1 cup white sugar

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Prepare cake according to instructions on package. Bake in a 9x13 inch pan. Allow to cool. Make holes in cake with fork. Combine pineapple and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil. Spoon over cooled cake.

In a large bowl, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth. Add vanilla. Add pecans and mix well. Spread cream cheese frosting over cake.

Enjoy your weekend and I will be back next week hopefully feeling like my old self or maybe I will be a better old self...xxoo everyone...

Lynda

Peanut Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips

Quick and Easy flourless peanut butter cookies
this was put out by flourmewithlove.com.

They were awesome, so easy so fast and they were good several days later.  I will be making these a lot.  My mom made the best peanut butter cookies and I didn't think I would ever like anything else but I have to say these do the trick and are much faster to make.

So here ya go this is what they posted.

The holidays are right around the corner and I know myself, I am very busy!  Today I decided to show you one of my simplest recipes that I make all the time.  These peanut butter cookies have four ingredients, you mix them in one bowl and they bake up in no time at all.  This is the perfect cookie to add to your cookie tray this year...simple & delicious!

Ingredients are as follows:

1 C peanut butter (creamy or chunky)

1 C sugar

1 egg

1/2 C chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together the peanut butter, sugar and egg.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spoon dollops out onto an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 8-10 minutes; until golden brown around the edges.  Remove from the cookie sheet, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool.

Take a bite and enjoy!

I made this last night and it was easy to make, reminded me of a scone.  I made a cup of coffee and it was nice.

New Year...New Idea's

I was such a pintrest addict.  I could get lost in all the food and decorating ideas.  I decided several months ago that until I made some of the things I wasn't going to get back on, and I didn't.

Then we all started sharing recipes on Facebook...WHAT THE HELL, I am doing it again!!!!  Now I tried a lot of things on there, I would let people know if I liked it after I shared but who knows if they saw it or not.

So last night I decided I wouldn't share anything till I tried it and that gave me the idea!!!!  I will start blogging about being a recipe critic.  You know we pin and share tons of ideas and people spend money on food not knowing if it is even any good.  So I am going to make it my new business and start taking on these posts.  I love to cook and I love trying new things.  I ran the idea by one of my friends and she loved it...so here we go.